Agcm magdalenae

Aah! Kathy, those africans are the love of my life! I have a hard time growing them. I had to check my data base & lo & behold I have bloomed Angcm. magdalenae only once, got it from Rod Venger back in 98 & it bloomed in June of 2003. It sits in a small pot on the bench to the cooler side of the g/h.

Encyclopedia of Orchids by Alec Pridgeon says:- It grows among rocks in leaf litter in the highlands of Madagascar, usually in light shade. In the wild plants endure a long cool dry season before flowering!!!!

I think I see my problem, seems like it needs a rest? Good luck with yours, Cheers Wendy

Well, it seems from people's experiences that a CHC-type medium and the warmer side of the GH is best. I'm floored that Norman's sells them in sphagnum moss, but there ya go.

I'll move it nearer the cattleya side of the GH and see if that makes any difference.

Thansk to one an all who responded! I had no idea there were so many angraecum aficionados here!

K Barrett

I also bought a Ang sesquipidale from Norman that is also in sphagnum which is ready to be changed. I was thinking that perhaps primeagra might be a better choice. I do know they don't like to have their roots disturbed. Norman has very nice plants and hospital like greenhouses.

Bob

I've been to Norman's and agree about the cleanliness. I am just floored that the real world experience differs so far from teh book-learning experience. I'd never have expected these to like moss. I'd have thought they wouldn't like the moisture so long at the roots or to be repotted as frequntly as moss does (in my hands it gets sour fast)(crappy water) But there ya go. Learn something new every day!

K Barrett wrote: I am just floored

I was too, but then Tom Nasser from Carolina Orchids, the Agraecum guru on the east coast, suggested a number of medium options including a promix-based one. He said they actually like water, just good drainage, and the promix type mixes have the advantage that at repotting time you can just spray it off and not really disturb the roots very much. You can even leave them in the same pot if they haven't outgrown it and just wash out the old mix and shake in new.

I killed a lovely large Veitchii a couple years back. It was in a badly broken down cattleya-type mix after about five years or so and I repotted it. Dead within a two months. I didn't really expect it as I had repotted it twice before and it had never shown any negative reaction at all. Go figure.